


I've Got Sugar On My Skin

by littlebitlostandfound



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:21:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23768410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlebitlostandfound/pseuds/littlebitlostandfound
Summary: Elizabeth gets into trouble after blowing Mae's birthday candles.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 25





	I've Got Sugar On My Skin

“Happy birthday, happy birthday, happy birthday to you.” 

Cathy sings her greetings to her daughter in a whisper, running her fingers through her hair to gently coax her awake. Mae flutters her eyelids open, scrunching her nose. 

“Hi, birthday girl,” Cathy whispers, caressing her daughter’s cheek. She turns four today. “I’ve got a treat for you this morning.”

“Cake?” Mae asks quietly, but excitement seeps through her tone. Cathy laughs, tapping her nose as she picks her up from her place on the bed. Her child would eat cake everyday if she could. 

“Yes, you little cake monster. We’re having it for breakfast, but only because it’s your special day.” Cathy smiles, holding her close against her chest. This was Mae’s first birthday since she’s arrived and naturally, Cathy had been planning it for weeks. “You’re four years old now, you’re practically a big girl!”

Mae giggles, her body a bit more awake now as she kicks her legs excitedly. “I am!”

“Mmhmm,” Cathy agrees, spinning her around once, making Mae squeal from the rush. She wraps her arms around her neck and Cathy kisses the crown of her head before heading downstairs to the kitchen, where everyone was awaiting their arrival. 

A chorus of ‘happy birthday’ fills the kitchen, in perfect five-part harmony from the queens with the addition of the children singing along at the top of their lungs. Mae smiles as she hides her face against Cathy’s neck, suddenly embarrassed at the grand gesture.

“Don’t be shy, darling, it’s okay,” Cathy whispers in her hair, making Mae turtle into herself further. Cathy gives Anne a pointed look, as if asking for help, and she walks over to the pair and places her hand on Mae’s back. 

“Happy birthday, Mae!” Anne smiles, rubbing her back gently. Mae cranes her head to the side to give her a bit more attention. “Can I have a hug?”

Mae contemplates for a bit before nodding her head, and Anne quickly takes Mae into her arms, allowing Cathy to stretch a bit before pulling the strawberry cake out of the fridge. 

“We never get to have sweets for breakfast, so thank you, little one,” Anne beams, making Mae giggle softly against her chest. Elizabeth tugs on Anne’s pyjama shirt, suddenly wanting attention from her mother as well. Anne looks down, releasing one hand and caressing the back of her head. “Yes, darling?”

“How much longer? I want cake!” Elizabeth was practically buzzing with excitement, and Anne tuts at her quickly.

“Not yet, Lizzie. Mae still needs to blow out her candles,” Jane interrupts, noticing that Anne has her hands full with the two girls. Elizabeth was about to complain again but was cut short with Cathy placing the cake with four lit candles on the kitchen counter.

“Alright, come to Mama,” Cathy murmurs as she takes Mae back into her arms, positioning themselves closer to the cake while the children and their mums surround them. Katherine and Anna took it upon themselves to record the moment, just happy to be a part of the celebration. 

They sing another round of the happy birthday song, and apparently it was too much for Elizabeth. Overcome with impatience, she inhales deeply to blow the candles midway through the song.

“There, cake time!” Elizabeth announces with a cheeky smile, dragging her finger across the side of the cake and licks the frosting off. Mae was still for a moment before she bursts into tears, visibly unhappy at not being able to blow her candles herself.

“Elizabeth.” Anne seethes through clenched teeth, holding her wrist before she could take another swipe. “Sit on the staircase.” 

“But, I was just—,”

“I don’t want to repeat myself.”

Elizabeth’s mood immediately dampens as she stomps away, and Katherine sobers as she presses pause, not realizing she had caught the whole thing on video. 

Anne turns to Cathy who was trying to console her distraught daughter. “Cathy, I’m so sorry about that, I didn’t—,”

“It’s okay, she’s just a kid. Don’t go too hard on her.” Cathy reassures her, swaying from side to side in hopes of soothing Mae. She hiccups and sobs into Cathy’s chest, and Anne’s heart grips at the sounds.

“Shh, baby, it’s alright. Mama can light up the candles again,” Cathy coos, and Mae shakes her head in resistance. Jane ushers the children into the living room for the mean time, and the rest of the queens quickly follow suit. Anne walks over to the steps and sees her daughter waiting there, toying with the loose threads on her shorts.

“Elizabeth,” Anne starts, and she looks up for a moment before looking down again. “Look at me, I need to talk to you.”

Her daughter meets her eyes, and she sees her mum’s face looking completely serious. She’s never seen her so stoic before.

“What you did back there was very rude. Did you know that?” Anne chastises, keeping her voice as level as possible. “I’m very disappointed in what you did.”

“But it just took so long,” Elizabeth tries to reason. “I just wanted things to go faster.”

“That’s not your choice to make, Elizabeth,” Anne says, looking straight into her daughter’s eyes. “Today is Mae’s first birthday here with us and Cathy wanted to make it very special for her.” 

“She can blow them again, what’s the big deal?” Elizabeth shoots back, but immediately regrets it when she sees her mother’s expression darken. 

“She’s never blown birthday candles in her life, did you know?”

“No, but—,” 

“You took that away from her,” Anne lays it on thick, wanting her to know the gravity of her error. She’s never been the strict parent, always opts for tutting and gentle reprimanding, but this time was different. “When Cathy offered to light them up again, Mae didn’t want her to. Being the first one to blow her candles was very important to her. She’s only four years old, Elizabeth.” 

Tears start to prick at Elizabeth’s eyes, and she swallows the lump in her throat. 

“I’m sorry,” Elizabeth mumbles, feeling the guilt gnawing at her heart. “I’m—,” 

“You shouldn’t be apologizing to me.” Anne says, prompting her to stand up and walk towards Cathy in the kitchen. Mae was still visibly upset, her crying reduced to whimpers but was calmer than before. Elizabeth taps Cathy’s back and she looks at her first before crouching down to her level, Mae still in her arms.

“I’m sorry for blowing your candles, Mae,” Elizabeth softly hiccups out, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. “I didn’t mean to do it.”

“And I’m sorry, Cathy, I didn’t know how special today was for you and Mae,” Elizabeth continues, her hands clenched tightly and her shoulders up to her ears. She braces herself for rejection and anger, but instead feels a warm hand wrapping around her forearm. 

“I can’t say I’m very happy about what happened,” Cathy starts honestly, but she rubs her arm up to her shoulder, hoping to ease out the extra tension from her little body. “But thank you for apologizing to me. Hey, baby,” Cathy turns to her girl in her arms. “Did you hear what Lizzie said?” 

Cathy feels a nod against her chest, and Mae twists her head to look at Elizabeth. “S’okay.”

Elizabeth releases a deep exhale, tears still streaming down her face, before turning around to face Anne. She walks the short distance between them and Anne drops to her knees to fully embrace her girl into a hug.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Elizabeth cries in her arms, and then suddenly, it was Anne’s turn to pacify her daughter. She rubs circles around her back, gently shushing into her ear.

“Shh, no more crying, alright? All good and forgiven, calm down, now, love,” Anne soothes, stroking Elizabeth’s hair. 

Mae hides her face into Cathy’s shoulder again, her hands playing with the ends of her mother’s hair. She mumbles something incomprehensible into the fabric of her shirt. 

“What’s that, baby?” Cathy clarifies, and Mae brings her head up to whisper in her ear. 

“Can I have some cake?” 


End file.
